Behavioral Interviewing Tips and Tricks

When
you get the call or email to interview with a company/organization, you are
excited and nervous at the same time about the opportunity. At this point, you
have passed the eye test and the company is interested in you. The company
reviewed and accepted your application packet, so you look good on paper and
potentially meet the criteria for the position. Moving forward in the
application process, the company reaches out to schedule an interview with you,
a potential candidate, to learn more about who you are as an individual and a
professional.

According
to the National Association of College and Employers (NACE), it is essential
for college graduates to contain specific Career Readiness Competencies in
order to be successful in a work environment. Recruiters and interviewers are
looking for qualified candidates that embodies and harness the following
attributes:

Of
course you can showcase your attributes via resume, but the interviewer are
seeking to learn more about you in the actual interview. The interviewers give
you the opportunity to shed light on the top attributes listed above utilizing
questions on behavioral interviewing. Behavioral Interviewing is way you can
highlight your present/past experiences and performances to focus on your
abilities and your attributes.

Listed below are examples of behavioral type
questions:

Talk about a time when you had to work closely with
someone whose personality was very different from yours.

Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict while
working on a team. How did you handle that?

Describe a time when you had to interact with a
difficult client. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?

Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure.
What was going on, and how did you get through it?

Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with
this situation?

Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How
did you go about ensuring that you would meet your objective?

Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities.
How did you handle that?

Describe a time when you saw some problem and took the
initiative to correct it rather than waiting for someone else to do it.

Give me an example of a time when you were able to
successfully persuade someone to see things your way at work.

Tell me about a time when you had to rely on written
communication to get your ideas across to your team.

There
is a formula is answering these behavioral type questions. The STAR method is
critical in answering these type of questions in an interview. It is not about
answering the question with the right answer just the right way.

As the interviewee, you should focus
on answering the question using the STAR method, which stands for Situation,
Task, Action, and Result. You want to set the stage with the Situation and the
Task at hand (be direct and to the point when giving the background).

Once
you set the foundation, then you want to move along to the meat of the question
and give the interviewer(s) what they want in answering the behavioral
questions. The Action and Result is important when responding to behavioral
questions. The interviewer wants to know beyond your resume and cover letter
what kind of person and professional you are and will be for their
organization.

The
interviewer wants to know you your course of Action and the Result of your
Action. What was your experience after this particular situation? What did you
take away from this situation? What did you learn about yourself in this
situation? These are all items the interviewer wants to know in your
approximate 2-minute response to a behavioral question.

The STAR method is simple to remember but requires strong execution in delivering a sound response to a behavioral question. Remember to take the time you recall your experiences and find a way to streamline your story in your response to these behavioral type questions.

The Auburn University Career Center has resources to help with your interviewing skills and preparation. You can check out our website at www.auburn.edu/career/interviews to utilize our services and resources to practice your interviewing, such as InterviewStream, The Job Search Guide, and scheduling a mock interview with a career counselor.

No comments:

Who are we?

The Auburn University Career Center delivers comprehensive services for students to explore majors, network with employers and professionals, prepare for advanced education, and successfully transition from college to career.